Devices for cooling the condenser of a cooling plant



Aug. 6, 1963 B. G. ANDERSSON 3,099,915

DEVICES FOR COOLING THE CONDENSER OF A COOLING PLANT Filed Dec. 19, 1961 INVENTOR BROR GUSTAV ANDE RSSON BY M10 ATTORNEYS ilnited rates hatch t 3,099,915 DEVICES FER COOLING THE CGNDENSER OF A CGULING PLANE Bror Gustav Andersson, 25 Norrgatan, "Varberg, Sweden Fiied Dec. 19, 1961, Ser. No. 168,449 2 Claims. (Cl. 62-305) The present invention concerns cooling plants and, more specifically, it relates to means for cooling the condenser of such a plant. To reduce water consumption it has been previously suggested to collect the water sprinkled over the condenser in a container situated below the condenser and to use the collected water again for cooling the condenser, utilizing a circulation pump, the cooling water thereby losing part of its heat content substantially corresponding to the amount of heat which the water has absorbed from the condenser, in that the water is subjected to an air stream which causes a part thereof to evaporate.

This known arrangement has certain deficiencies with regard to operating reliability and space demand, and it is the object of the present invention to overcome these drawbacks.

The invention is mainly characterised in that the con tainer, by means of a conduit provided with a check valve, communicates with a closed pressure chamber situated at a lower level than said container, and to the lower part of which the inlet end of said supply pipe is connected, the pressure side of an air compressor being connected to said pressure chamber which is further provided, in its top portion, with an air outlet controlled by a valve which is governed by a float arranged in the pressure chamber and adapted to cause said air outlet valve to open when the water level falls below a certain lower limit, and to close when the water level rises above a certain upper limit.

In this arrangement, due to the pressure built up in the pressure chamber by the compressor, the water in the pressure chamber will be forced to the sprinkler device of the condenser, until the water level in the pressure chamber falls below said lower limit, at which the float will cause the air outlet valve to open, so that the pressure in the pressure chamber falls and the water collected in the container flows down by its own weight into the pressure chamber, thereby causing the water level therein to rise, until the float causes the air outlet valve to close, whereafter the described cycle is repeated.

According to a preferred and space-saving embodiment of the invention, the water-collecting container is arranged above and spaced from the pressure chamber. In this embodiment the compressor may be disposed in the space between the container and the pressure chamber.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing which shows a diagrammatic vertical section through an arrangement according to the invention.

In the drawing, numeral 1. designates a metal plate casing in the form of a vertical cylinder having a bottom 2 and being provided with two horizontal dividing walls 3 and 4 which divide the cylinder into three compartments 5, 6 and 7. The uppermost compartment 5 is provided at the top with a suction fan 8 mounted in an outlet opening 9 and contains in its upper portion the condenser 10 of a cooling plant (not shown) and is further provided with air intake openings 11 in the cylinder wall slightly below the condenser 10. Inlet and outlet pipes 10a and 1%, respectively, are connected to the condenser 10. The middle compartment 6 which is provided with side openings 12 contains a compressor 13 driven by an electric motor. The pressure side of the compressor is connected, by means of a conduit 14, to the lower compartment 7 which forms a pressure chamber. From the lower part of the pressure chamber 7 there extends a vertical pipe Patented Aug. 6, 1963 15 which ends in a sprinkler 16 situated below the fan 8 and above the condenser 19. The lower part 17 of the upper compartment 5 forms a container. A vertical pipe 18 extends downwardly therefrom and has its lower end situated adjacent the bottom of the pressure chamber 7 and communicating therewith through check valves 19 opening towards the pressure chamber. At the upper end of the pressure chamber 7 there is arranged an air outlet 2! controlled by a valve 21, which in turn is adapted to be actuated by a float 22 arranged within the the pressure chamber and connected to the end of an arm 24, the other end of which is pivoted on a pin 23, said arm being embraced by a yoke member 25 connected to the valve body of the air outlet valve 21.

At a certain water level in the pressure chamber 7, the float 22. will close the valve 21 which controls the air outlet 20, whereby the pressure generated in the pressure chamber 7 by the compressor 13 will force the water in the pressure chamber through the vertical pipe 15 up to the sprinkler 16. Due to the action of the suction fan 8, the air entering through the openings 11 will cause a portion of the water to evaporate, so that the temperature of the water will be reduced. As the water level in the pressure chamber 7 falls, the float 22 will move downwardly, but due to the superpressure in the pressure chamber the valve 21 will remain closed until the float 22 has reached a certain lower position, in which the float arm 24 by means of the yoke 25 will move the valve 21 to its open position. The pressure in the pressure chamber will then fall so that water collected in the container 17 will be allowed to flow through the pipe 18 and the check valves 19 down into the pressure chamber 7. When the water in the pressure chamber has risen to a certain level, the float arm 24 will again close the valve 21, whereafter the water in the pressure chamber 7 again will be forced up to the sprinkler 16, and the cycle described above will thus be repeated.

The water lost by evaporation may be replaced by water supplied through a pipe (not shown) which is connected to the container 17, whereby the water supply may be automatically regulated by means of a float-controlled valve arranged in said pipe.

In the embodiment shown in the drawing there is further arranged, below the condenser 10 and at a level just below the air intake opening 11, a slightly cup-shaped plate 26 which collects the water from the sprinkler 16 which has passed the condenser 10. The plate 26 has a circular circumferential edge concentric with the cylindrical housing 1 and of a slightly less diameter than the inner diameter of the housing, so that the water collected in the plate will over-flow the edges of the plate and down into the container 17, as indicated by the arrows 27 in the drawing. At the bottom of the cup-shaped plate there is arranged a tube 28 extending around the plate and being connected, by means of a conduit 29, to the air compressor 13. The tube 28 is provided, at its upwardly facing side, with a number of perforations through which the pressurized air supplied through the conduit 29 may escape. As shown in the drawing, the upper side of the tube 28 is situated slightly below the level of the water collected on the plate '26, and the air escaping through said perforations will therefore cause bubbles in the water, said bubbles when bursting releasing their heat content, whereby an additional cooling of the circulating cooling water is obtained.

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, the sprinkler 16 comprises a number of radially extending arms communicating with the vertical pipe 15 and pro vided with perforations serving as water outlets. The sprinkler may of course be constructed in any other suitable way.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment hereinbefore described and shown in the accompanying drawings, said embodiment being susceptible of various modifications with respect to its details, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Thus, in order to obtain the necessary pressure in the pressure chamber 7, it would be possible to utilize any desired source of pressurized air. As an example, the compressor of the cooling plant could be connected via a reducing valve and a pressure bellows.

What I claim is:

1. A cooling plant comprising in combination a condenser, a spray header disposed above said condenser, means disposed below said condenser for collecting the water from said header, :a pressure chamber disposed below and spaced from said water collecting means, an air compressor disposed in the space between said Water collecting means and said pressure chamber and having its pressure side connected to said pressure chamber, a

vertically extending pipe having its upper end connected to said spray header and its lower end positioned in the lower portion of said pressure chamber, means for conducting Water from said water collecting means to said pressure chamber and including a check valve opening towards said pressure chamber, an air outlet provided in the upper portion of said pressure chamber, a valve connected to said air outlet for controlling the same and adapted to close when the water level in said pressure chamber exceeds an upper limit and to open when the Water level falls below a lower limit, a perforated hollow element disposed at the bottom of said water collecting means, and means for supplying air under pressure to said hollow element.

2. In a cooling plant comprising a condenser, means for sprinkling cooling Water over said condenser, a supply pipe for supplying cooling Water to said sprinkling means, a cup-shaped plate positioned below said condenser -for collecting the cooling Water from said sprinkling means and disposed above and spaced from said pressure chamber, means for returning said water from said container to said supply pipe, a closed pressure chamber disposed at a lower level than said container, a pipe connecting said container and said pressure chamber, a check valve provided in said pipe, said supply pipe having its inlet end positioned in the lower portion of saidpressure chamber, an air compressor positioned between said container and said pressure chamber and having its pressure side connected to said pressure chamber, said pressure chamber further being provided, in the upper portion thereof, with an air outlet, a valve controlling said air outlet, a float in said pressure chamber, and means connecting said float with said valve for causing the latter to open, when the water level in said pressure chamber sinks below a certain lower limit, and to close, when the water level rises above a certain upper limit and a perforalted tube positioned in said cup-shaped plate and connected to said air compressor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A COOLING PLANT COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A CONDENSER, A SPRAY HEADER DISPOSED ABOVE SAID CONDENSER, MEANS DISPOSED BELOW SAID CONDENSER FOR COLLECTING THE WATER FROM SAID HEADER, A PRESSURE CHAMBER DISPOSED BELOW AND SPACED FROM SAID WATER COLLECTING MEANS, AN AIR COMPRESSOR DISPOSED IN THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID WATER COLLECTING MEANS AND SAID PRESSURE CHAMBER AND HAVING ITS PRESSURE SIDE CONNECTED TO SAID PRESSURE CHAMBER, A VERTICALLY EXTENDING PIPE HAVING ITS UPPER END CONNECTED TO SAID SPRAY HEADER AND ITS LOWER END POSITIONED IN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID PRESSURE CHAMBER, MEANS FOR CONDUCTING WATER FROM SAID WATER COLLECTING MEANS TO SAID PRESSURE CHAMBER AND INCLUDING A CHECK VALVE OPENING TOWARDS SAID PRESSURE CHAMBER, AN AIR OUTLET PROVIDED IN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID PRESSURE CHAMBER, A VALVE CONNECTED TO SAID AIR OUTLET FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME AND ADAPTED TO CLOSE WHEN THE WATER LEVEL IN SAID PRESSURE CHAMBER EXCEEDS AN UPPER LIMIT AND TO OPEN WHEN THE WATER LEVEL FALLS BELOW A LOWER LIMIT, A PERFORATED HOLLOW ELEMENT DISPOSED AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID WATER COLLECTING MEANS, AND MEANS FOR SUPPLYING AIR UNDER PRESSURE TO SAID HOLLOW ELEMENT. 